As told by the university

About Kent

Campus Locations

Faculties

World-leading Research

First-class Facilities

Support when you need it

Our students

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About Kent

A degree to be proud of

One of the UK’s leading universities, the University of Kent offers you a world-class education and one of the best student experiences in the country. The University produces world-leading research and is rated as internationally excellent.

Rankings

Ranked in the UK top 20 in the Times Higher Education ‘Table of Tables’, and with the fourth highest score for overall student satisfaction* (NSS), we enjoy a global reputation that attracts students from around the world. Our academics are engaged in world-class research and this informs their teaching, enabling you to study with some of the most influential thinkers in your field.

The Times Higher Education has ranked Kent 17th in the UK for research intensity in the Research Excellence Framework, and the QS World University Rankings by Subject places Kent among the world’s elite institutions in eight of the 36 featured subjects.

*out of all publically funded, multi-faculty universities

Inspirational Teaching and Academic Excellence

Kent is renowned for its teaching style; our academics have an outstanding ability to pass on their passion for study and debate. You will be challenged and encouraged, and develop as an independent thinker, capable of thriving in different situations. This approach is enhanced by the opportunity for you to attend numerous talks and workshops in related fields, allowing you to place your studies within a broader context.

Our postgraduate students further develop their skills by presenting work at research seminars, participating in conferences and publishing papers.

Going abroad as part of your degree is an amazing experience and a chance for you to develop personally, academically and professionally. As a Kent student, a world of study abroad and work placement opportunities is available to you – from China, Hong Kong and Thailand, to the US, Latin America, Australia, South Africa and Europe – and we’ll support you every step of the way.

The University provides dedicated support for its international students, with a choice of accommodation on campus. International students are offered University accommodation for their first year of study (providing they meet the application criteria).

Employability

Kent graduates enjoy excellent career prospects around the world.95% of Kent students who graduated in 2015 were in work or further study within six months.

Less than an hour’s travel from London, our beautiful Canterbury and Medway campuses are situated in the county of Kent in the south east corner of England. Affectionately known as the ‘Garden of England’, the county boasts over 1,000 miles of countryside and 200 miles of unspoilt coastline, and is the perfect location from which to explore mainland Europe. Departing from the ‘White Cliffs of Dover’, France can be reached in 30 minutes, and Paris and Brussels are accessible in just under two hours.

Aside from its ideal positioning, Kent has a unique charm of its own which attracts millions of tourists every year. Steeped in history, Kent houses more castles and stately homes than any other English county, and boasts a rich literary heritage. The Kentish landscape is often conjured in the novels of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.

The jewel in Kent’s crown is Canterbury, a beautiful and vibrant student city less than an hour from London. Virginia Woolf famously wrote “there is no lovelier place in the world than Canterbury”, and each year many students from around the world fall in love with the city’s diverse and cosmopolitan charm.

As you’d expect from a city with nearly 30,000 students, there’s a rich social life too. In fact, according to a report from travel company Experian, Canterbury is the UK’s third most vibrant city.

Overlooking the Cathedral, and nestled in 300 acres of green parkland, is our Canterbury campus. As with the city, the campus offers a lively and friendly environment for students and great social facilities including its own nightclub, cinema, theatre and sports centre.

The University of Kent's Paris School of Arts and Culture offers postgraduate students the chance to study in the historic and cultural heart of Montparnasse. We offer programmes in the arts and humanities, where your learning is enhanced by being immersed in the culture and language of one of the most inspirational cities in the world. As part of a thriving academic community, students work with internationally respected academics and are able to enjoy all the opportunities that come with living and working in Paris.

Students can choose to begin their one-year MA in the world heritage city of Canterbury and relocate in the spring term to the Montparnasse district of Paris or spend the entire academic year at our Paris centre (for select MA programmes).Our programmes offer you the exceptional opportunity to study film, art, creative writing, literature, history, religion and architecture, following in the footsteps of eminent intellectuals who lived in, and took inspiration from, these cities.All teaching takes place in English, and optional French language lessons are also available.

Leading authorities in their fields, Kent’s staff are known for their research-led teaching which is further enhanced by the cultural, linguistic and experiential immersion in the capitals of European culture and knowledge. Our staff are experts on historic cities and teaching is delivered utilising the extensive resources available including the museums, exhibitions, landmarks and culturally significant locations which bring your subject to life.

In Paris, your MA seminars take place within the charming walls of Reid Hall, where authors and philosophers such as Barthes, Beauvoir and Derrida have lectured. Today, it is a global research and study centre that is shared between partner institutions who have developed a vibrant scholarly community for expatriates. In addition to your course modules, you are invited to participate regularly in a rich offering of academic and cultural lectures and conferences organised by the University of Kent and other Reid Hall partner institutions

Recent Kent at Paris graduates arenow building careers with a range of public and private employers.

Our academic schools produce world-leading research, and we are rated as internationally excellent, leading the way in many fields of study. We are ranked 17th in the UK for research intensity and 97% of research at Kent was found to be of international quality in the Research Excellence Framework 2014, an independent national survey of UK universities. This means that you will study in one of the best research-intensive universities in the UK with outstanding academic staff who have a strong track record of research publishing.

Contributing to the University’s REF success were:

the number of our world class publications

the number of research active staff

the demonstrable impact our research has made to the sciences and to economic, social and cultural understanding

Recent research achievements at Kent include:

the discovery of a new antibiotic for MRSA

the development of a 3D facial recognition system used in criminal investigations

the discovery of the origin of BSE through animal feed

developing a marker test for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)

First-class Facilities

Sport

Our superb sports facilities at Canterbury provide students with the opportunity to experience sport either for leisure and recreation or to an elite competitive level using state of the art equipment and a wide-range of facilities. We also offer a wide variety of fitness and dance classes, sports courses and fun tournaments throughout the year.

Facilities include: an air-conditioned fitness suite fitted with the latest StarTrac equipment; a strength and conditioning training area equipped with four Olympic lifting platforms and Eleiko discs and bars; a Physiotherapy Clinic; large group exercise studio which hosts a full timetable of dance, studio, cycling, toning, holistic and combat classes, three multi purpose sports halls for activities including badminton, basketball, football, netball, table tennis, and volleyball; two squash courts, an indoor and outdoor tennis and netball centre; a floodlit 3G football pitch and multi-use astro-turf pitch; grass pitches for sports including rugby, football and cricket; a sports pavilion and two café areas.

Our outstanding facilities led to Kent being selected as a pre-games training camp for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

At Medway, our students have access to Medway Park, a multi-sport, state-of-the-art facility, located near to the campus. Kent students receive preferential rates to use its sports halls, pools, squash courts, health suites and athletics track.

The Medway area includes a range of other sporting facilities, such as a dry ski slope and toboggan run, an ice rink, a gokarting circuit, and an Olympic standard trampoline centre. The Deangate Ridge Sports Complex has an 18-hole golf course, athletics track and gym, and the Arethusa Venture Centre offers a great climbing wall and sailing activities. There is also a fantastic soccer centre, Kicks, which has third-generation astroturf – the best possible artificial surface.

The arts

On our Canterbury campus, the Gulbenkian Theatre offers a full programme of music, comedy, dance and drama, whilst the Gulbenkian Cinema screens a wide range of films from new releases to classics.

Our Colyer-Fergusson Building is a state-of-the-art centre for music performance able to accommodate everything from chamber recitals to large-scale orchestral concerts.

Passionate about music? We offer a wide range of music-making opportunities and Music Performance Scholarships of up to £2,000 are awarded each year to talented instrumentalists and singers studying for any degree at the University.

Students’ Unions

Kent Union at Canterbury and Greenwich and Kent Students’ Unions Together (GK Unions) at Medway run a wide range of student societies, including numerous international societies, and events which give you a chance to try something different or develop an existing interest. You could even establish your own society. Both unions are run by students for students and can provide advice and support on a range of matters.

Student accommodation

Our excellent student accommodation allows you to make an easy transition to living away from home – you don’t have to worry about finding somewhere to live and all of your basic bills, except for a TV licence, are included in the rent.

Our Canterbury campus houses over 5,000 students in flats, houses and colleges offered on a self-catered or part-catered basis.

Medway students can stay in the purpose-built Liberty Quays development, a short walk from the campus and right by the River Medway.

Our international students, whether at Canterbury or Medway, are offered a room in University accommodation for their first year of study (providing they meet the application criteria).

Libraries

Our libraries contain over 1.3million books, periodicals and journals, as well as many online resources. Our impressive Templeman Library contains a number of special collections, study areas, and viewing facilities. The £10million Drill Hall Library at Medway, with 2.7 miles of shelving, hosts extensive book and journal collections.

IT services

We provide full IT services to assist your studies, including training, support and high-speed wireless access from study bedrooms and other locations across campus.

We welcome students from around the world and our International Recruitment team is always available to answer your questions.

English Language Entry Requirements

If you are a non-native speaker of English, we will need to see evidence of your English language ability. The level required will depend on your chosen programme of study. If you don’t currently have the necessary level of English, we offer an International Foundation Programme (IFP) and a range of pre-sessional courses to help you improve your English and study skills before joining your programme. Free English lessons are also available during your studies.

We recommended you contact the Director of Graduate Studies in the school where you wish to study. If you have a supervisor in mind, you should also contact him or her directly to discuss your research proposal.

This is an important part of the application process as we must be confident that we can provide you with suitable supervision, support, training and facilities. The University must also be satisfied that you have the necessary qualifications and experience.

This early discussion also allows you and the Director of Graduate Studies/your potential supervisor to explore funding opportunities.

As a Kent student, you will be joining a truly international community – 27% of our students come from outside the UK, representing 150 nationalities, and 37% of our academics are from overseas. This international mix creates a dynamic and stimulating environment, giving you the opportunity to discover how different cultures address global issues and enabling you to make new friends from around the world.

Our student societies celebrate a range of festivals including Chinese New Year, Holi, Thanksgiving and Diwali, and our Multicultural Events Fund offers awards of up to £350 to help you run your own multicultural event.